SAM Infantry v Regular Infantry

[punchandpie]

Is it worth upgrading my regular infantry units to SAM units? Or is there a disadvantage to doing this?

 

[Artanis]

Well, SAM Infantry are actually weaker in ground combat, especially against Gunpowder units. What SAMs are designed to fight is against air attack, so you should only bother upgrading Infantry to SAM Infantry if you need to knock down Gunships or airplanes.

 

[SowerCleaver]

I actually have a related question. Is there a way to shoot down airplanes that are stationed in nearby enemy city and on "intercept" mode, other than assaulting the city itself with ground force? SAM infantries can 'intercept' attacking airplanes, but they cannot directly attack the intercepting airplanes. Also, fighters stationed in my city do not have the option to selectively strike the enemy planes. Any tips?

 

[xenikos]

One aspect of the AI that is somewhat broken is that it reads the SAM Infantry as a straight upgrade of regular Infantry, and thus in many instances will downgrade units to throw at your cities. Good against planes/gunships though.

 

[DangerousMonkey]

SAM infantry are embarassingly bad. I honetly can't think of a reason for ever building them. If you need air cover, build fighters.

 

[CivCorpse]

SAM infantry are embarassingly bad. I honetly can't think of a reason for ever building them. If you need air cover, build fighters.

Take one or two per stack to cover units in the open field

 

[PC-Pete]

I have a somewhat related question.

During one of my recent games I sent a few fighters to destroy an enemy tile improvement. The tile I target was empty of any troops, but 3 tiles away. Between my carrier and the targeted tile was an enemy SAM infantry located. For some reason he was able to shoot at my plane, even if I didn't attack him. Also some of my planes flew over the tile adjacent to the SAM, but still got shot.

Does all SAM have this interfarence ability, even if they aren't targeted directly? I haven't built any SAMs myself so I don't know if they have any intercept ability. Figure I ask here.

 

[TLHeart]

Sam Infrantry has a range of 1 tile...they can and do attack an aircraft flying in an adjacent tile. This is not a 100 chance. I think it is around a 30% chance of attacking an aircraft.

 

[emills]

An important difference in the "infantry" is what they can be upgrade from and to.

archers (not longbowman) and some melee units --> grenadiers --> machine guns --> SAM Infantry (end)
melee/archer untits --> Riflemen/grenadiers --> Infantry --> Mechanized Infantry (end)


You can get some cool abilities that are not "nominal" for a particular unit. Machine guns cannot self promote to the city defense skill since they are "seige" units. However, archers and grenadiers can get the promotion and if they have it when you upgrade the unit, then you get stronger machine gun units for protecting your city. The same goes for gunpowder unit and city raider skills. the "gunpowder" unit can only have them if they were upgraded from a melee unit that had them. I haven't used it in a game, but if a machine gun can get barrage I/II does it transfer to the SAM infantry?

 

[Gen.Rommel]

The way i use SAM infantry is to provide an interlocking air defence system, in conjunction with Fighters. I always have 2 Fighters in each city, and then i station SAM Infantry atop all of the resources in my territory, which serves the dual purpose of catching enemy spies(not all the time, but better than nothing), and providing air defence along with Fighters. Doing that usually covers my whole territory.

I wouldnt upgrade Infantry to SAMs, but like emills said, if you have a special purpose in mind for the upgraded SAMs, then its up to you.

 

[Sahkuhnder]

I have a somewhat related question.

During one of my recent games I sent a few fighters to destroy an enemy tile improvement. The tile I target was empty of any troops, but 3 tiles away. Between my carrier and the targeted tile was an enemy SAM infantry located. For some reason he was able to shoot at my plane, even if I didn't attack him. Also some of my planes flew over the tile adjacent to the SAM, but still got shot.

Does all SAM have this interfarence ability, even if they aren't targeted directly? I haven't built any SAMs myself so I don't know if they have any intercept ability. Figure I ask here.

This has happened to me as well with a bomber two tiles from the nearest city that has a SAM infantry. No other units anywhere around, my bomber was only badly damaged.

 

[fightcancer]

As emills pointed out, SAM Infantry cannot be upgraded whereas regular Infantry can.

 

[bonscott]

SAM Infantry totally rock against copters. They will many times to better then a tank as the copter has a huge advantage vs. the tank. It's the whole counter system. I'll always have SAM's along with a stack, usually 2 as this provides air defense against enemy fighters and bombers against the stack and they may get a pot shot at a bomber going overhead on it's way to a bombing run in your territory. Also place one on each key resource in AI bombing range and you'll be amazed what can happen sometimes. Also keep 1-2 in each city in AI bombing range for defense.

SAM's aren't meant for the meat of an attack force other then against copters but they are meant as a counter to air power in the field.

 

[Willburn]

Sam infantery own.. Ever played industrial multiplayer starts? Fighters RAVAGE a country side without sam infantery / fighters to protect it. Sam infantery own helicopters. Ive yet to se any unit in civ4 not usefull for something.

 

[Bezhukov]

They are the only unit with a bonus vs. Gunships. Gunships have four moves per turn. Gunships can pillage with each of these moves. Gunships bad.

 

[AngryPants]

SAM infantry are embarassingly bad. I honetly can't think of a reason for ever building them. If you need air cover, build fighters.

If for whatever reason, you don't have access to oil, then you can at least give yourself some cover by building the SAM infantry. Not a strategy for victory, but you can at least cover yourself until you jack some oil. They are also useful for organic AA, just put 1 or 2 into each stack that is out in the open. The SAM infantry is a highly specialized unit, it is very useful in a few situations and more or less useless the rest of the time.